Your choice of cycling attire is lycra?

outnabike, you do yourself and the concept of riding in everyday clothes (which I support) no credit by such obscenities Mods will probably dump that photo,as they have with the infamous Polish cycle team.

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.

Without question, high tech clothing designed specifically for bicycling can help a serious or competitive rider go faster and farther in greater comfort. But for the rest of us, everyday clothing works just fine.

Civilian clothes are better...

Obviously written by someone who doesn't cycle a lot.

What's next?

Without question, high tech clothing designed specifically for bicycling can help a serious or competitive swimmer go faster and farther in greater comfort. But for the rest of us, everyday clothing works just fine?

Without question, high tech clothing designed specifically for bicycling can help a serious or competitive runner go faster and farther in greater comfort. But for the rest of us, everyday clothing works just fine?

Not very many people swim or run to work, or the pub as a non-competitive activity (or even a competitive one) as far as I know. Lots of people ride bikes for these reasons and are not interested in doing any competitive cycle.

Subtle difference there. Cycling is one of the few sports that has a dual-personality - it is also serious personal transport.

BTW, please avoid such selective quoting that misconstrues what the quote was saying.

Civilian clothes are better, in fact, if you are riding someplace where you will end up mingling with non-riders. There’s just something about wandering around in clickity shoes and bright tight Spandex that makes one stand out in a crowd.

Work, pub, shopping, cafe, party, family BBQ........

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.

il padrone wrote:outnabike, you do yourself and the concept of riding in everyday clothes (which I support) no credit by such obscenities Mods will probably dump that photo,as they have with the infamous Polish cycle team.

il padrone" thanks for the wake up call.Sorry folks I deleted it my self, I reckon I went a bit far with it. My stupid sense of humour, I don't really have any thing against Lycra at all. My apologies for any offence.Some times you think some thing is funny and it is just bad taste.

For the record:Images of rowers in lycra have now joined the Polish cycling team on the permanent bench. Members trying to drag them back off and into play will cop a slap without further warning or discussion.

Shaun

...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic.London Boy 29/12/2011

Did a bit of cross country ski racing in another life and that would have to rate right up there with the rowers for both men and women. I guess the temperature made thigns a bit less confronting though.

Not very many people swim or run to work, or the pub as a non-competitive activity (or even a competitive one) as far as I know. Lots of people ride bikes for these reasons and are not interested in doing any competitive cycle.

Subtle difference there. Cycling is one of the few sports that has a dual-personality - it is also serious personal transport.

BTW, please avoid such selective quoting that misconstrues what the quote was saying.

Civilian clothes are better, in fact, if you are riding someplace where you will end up mingling with non-riders. There’s just something about wandering around in clickity shoes and bright tight Spandex that makes one stand out in a crowd.

Work, pub, shopping, cafe, party, family BBQ........

Sigh. I go to the beach and mingle with non-swimmers wearing 'civilian clothes'. Doesn't mean I have to swim in 'civilian clothes'. Anyway, if it is that important to mingle with non-riders wearing civilian clothes you could always to what my cousin does and bring some shorts to slip over the top.

casual_cyclist wrote:Sigh. I go to the beach and mingle with non-swimmers wearing 'civilian clothes'. Doesn't mean I have to swim in 'civilian clothes'. Anyway, if it is that important to mingle with non-riders wearing civilian clothes you could always to what my cousin does and bring some shorts to slip over the top.

Gosh, not sure whether there is a confusion of terminology here or not ???

Anyway, back to my point - nobody that I know swims in street clothing, generally not feasible except in an emergency. Lots of people I know ride a bike in street clothes, it's quite feasible - for certain types of riding of course.

Slipping on some shorts - what I (and many people here) mean by 'riding in lycra' is generally much more than just shorts - also jersey, shoes, mitts, in winter tights and jacket as well. Going shopping or to a BBQ most people don't plan to do a full change of clothes.

I can't see what the grief is about the idea of riding your bike for distances of 5-15kms in street clothing ?? But do whatever suits you best.

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.

I wear lycra for training/exercise rides, for club rides, for races and for commuting. I wear it for commuting because I ride 24 km each way around very hilly Sydney terrain and I get drenched, doing that in regular clothes would be disgusting, hard and painful. If I was to ride a few km I might wear normal clothes but I hate getting grease stains on the inside leg of my jeans, if I really need to look normal when I get somewhere I'll take my commuter bike with a change of clothes in the panniers. I couldn't care less if some insecure bloke thinks less of me for it or feels like they have some obligation to look at my junk. Grow up, we wear it for a reason, it's the best material for riding hard, long distances and sweating in.

il padrone wrote:But for the rest of us, everyday clothing works just fine.

Civilian clothes are better...

Obviously written by someone who doesn't cycle a lot.

I think after that comment you need to relinquish your username.

I cycle EVERY DAY. So do most of my peers. Neither me or any of my peers wear Lycra while cyling. I got home half an hour ago from a Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concert. All but one in our group who attended cycled. None of us wore Lycra.

Whatsmore the friend who drove took over an hour longer to get there and park and walk! Leaving from the same location prior the concert!

The point is that cycling needs to be seen as a normal everyday form of transport. In order for this to happen we need visible cyclists on the road wearing everyday clothes. This doesn't mean you should all throw away your lycra, I understand that lycra is designed for and very comfortable for riding, but it does mean you need to cut the attitude. You don't need to be riding a carbon fibre racing bike in cycling specific clothing to be a serious cyclist. You only need to be propelling a two wheeled vehicle (maybe 3 for recumbents or 1 for unis) under your own steam.

As for the swimming analogy, get back to me when swimming becomes a form of transport.

il padrone wrote:But for the rest of us, everyday clothing works just fine.

Civilian clothes are better...

Obviously written by someone who doesn't cycle a lot.

I think after that comment you need to relinquish your username.

I cycle EVERY DAY. So do most of my peers. Neither me or any of my peers wear Lycra while cyling. I got home half an hour ago from a Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concert. All but one in our group who attended cycled. None of us wore Lycra.

Whatsmore the friend who drove took over an hour longer to get there and park and walk! Leaving from the same location prior the concert!

Did you write the article referred to in the link? Because I was referring to the person who wrote the article.

DavidS wrote:The point is that cycling needs to be seen as a normal everyday form of transport. In order for this to happen we need visible cyclists on the road wearing everyday clothes.

Why? I couldn't care less if cycling is seen as transport...to me cycling is recreation.

Well, you can feel safe in the knowledge that you will continue to be treated as a third class citizen on the roads.

Of course, if you only ever ride recreationally off roads, then I suppose you can just not give a stuff about anyone else.

What was that I was saying about attitude . . .

DS

Actually I've always been treated very well on roads, and because of my average speed I only ever ride on roads these days. As I said before I use my bike (my fancy pants carbon racing bike) as legitimate transportation as well as recreation. I do it in lycra because to wear any other clothing with how I ride would be grossly uncomfortable and highly impractical in temperatures above 5 degrees. Nobody is going to bully me into being uncomfortable to satisfy their own personal insecurities or views of the world although if you like to be frustrated I encourage you to try.

AndrewBurns wrote:Nobody is going to bully me into being uncomfortable to satisfy their own personal insecurities or views of the world although if you like to be frustrated I encourage you to try.

You are seriously misreading what people are saying here . No-one wants you to wear a tweed suit for your 35km commute. Of course cycling-specific clothing and a change at work is the choice for this ride. However for the 5 km ride to the railway station, do you really need the Omega Pharma Lotto team kit?

BTW the "I don't give a freak about anyone else" attitude in several posts on here reads very poorly.

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.